Wareken
by Children-of-the-Blood
Summary: What is it about Hannah and Lexi that is so strange? What do they have to hide? As Merlin travels on his quest to save Arthur, picking up old friends along the way, what is it about these girls that is so... strange? And will they find something darker in their quest, something that could end them all...
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N Hey guys, this is really weird for me, actually posting something up here! Usually I am just someone who loves to read everything up here instead of actually posting the things I have written.**_

_**So I decided to post this because recently DHP and I have moved from Singapore to different places in the wonderful country of Australia! However this means that we haven't been in touch as much as we like, so this is just for the fun times!**_

_**Seriously, I think we started writing this over Facebook messages at least 3 years ago or something. We had a basic idea, then we had to write roughly 1000 words of what we thought would happen next! Even though it was years ago, I'm not going to change any of what's already in the chapters, that would take away the point of putting it up.**_

_**Of course, that means that this is not our most in-depth work, but we had fun writing it :)**_

**Disclaimer: We do not own any of the Merlin characters from any legends or movies, but specifically the amazing BBC television series – much to our dismay, as otherwise I believe that much manipulation would have taken place *wink*.**

* * *

><p>Merlin rode as fast and hard as he could. He had to find Gwaine and Lancelot. He had ridden south, knowing that was where Gwaine went. He had asked all the villages he'd past if they knew of him. Obviously they had, as the mixture of giggles and sour looks turned him farther south-west, towards the border of Mercia. Merlin had also asked after Lancelot, he had come by around a year ago and had said he was travelling to Mercia. Thankfully Lancelot had kept to his plan in traveling to the Kingdom of Bayard.<p>

As Merlin finally rode his panting and sweating horse into the village of Darvena, Merlin could hear a tavern fight nearby. The warlock sighed; he now knew where Gwaine was.

Tying his horse up, Merlin ran into the tavern and just barely ducked in time to dodge the cup that came flying at his head. Someone stumbled into the boy and a head of brown, curly locks was raised to reveal a mirth filled - and alcohol filled - smiling face of none other, but dear old Gwaine himself. With a sigh, Merlin began pulling the man out of the tavern, voicing his exact thoughts on the manner he had found his friend in. "Honestly, Gwaine, how come I can always follow the sounds of a tavern brawl and find you in the thick of it? Come on, let's go. I need you now."

That seemed to sober the hidden nobleman up somewhat. "Not yet Merlin, we need to bring the girls." The man's clumsy finger indicated to two girls of about 16 years of age in the thick of the brawl. The sorcerer seriously considered using magic to help the two ladies out until he saw the one with locks of curling chocolate and golden skin punch two guys lights out and using an ale mug to break the nose of another. Switching his gaze to the girl with straight strawberry blonde hair that fell to her the top of her thighs, he watched as she kicked up and her skirts (more flexible than one would have thought) fanned around the leg that kicked the 6 foot something man's head straight on. Impressive for a girl of 5'6".

"They look like they could hold their own, Gwaine. I'm serious; we need to go *now*!"

"No. They're travellers. They were travelling with their older brothers before they decided to settle down here. They're like me and didn't have any money, so the girls had to work here while the boys found jobs elsewhere - then gambled away whatever money they earned. Since, for some ungodly reason," Gwaine continued in mock shock. "They weren't making any money, the boys decided to sell the girls to the locals bandits for good prices and get them good favours." Merlin glowered, wondering which of the unconscious men on the floor were their brothers. "I decided to lend them a hand, maybe pick up some companions."

A sly grin crept onto Merlin's face. "What's this Gwaine? Getting soft in your older age? The life of a lone rogue no longer appealing to you anymore? Or even - heaven forbid - making you willing to settle down?" Then he realised why he'd come here and cut his friend off before the older man could get a word in. "Never mind, I need you. Arthur needs you."

"What? What's wrong with Arthur?" Merlin shook his head,here was not the place to tell him. Then there was a scream, one of the men had pulled out a knife and cut the laces on the bodice that kept the blonde's dress up. She clutched the fabric to herself as the bandit poised the knife to called on his magic, he needed to save the girl and do it quickly. He aimed the power swirling deep inside of him towards the rope of one of the tavern's high-lights (a cheaper, tackier version of the chandeliers he had seen in Camelot, a cheap mix-match of wood with the candle wax melted into the wood), as it swung above the bandits head. However as his magic unfurled, the chocolate-haired girl grabbed the man's arms, twisted them and broke them over her knee before he could so much as take another breath. It was only then that the high-light fell and smashed over the bandit's head, knocking him out cold.

Gwaine - who was leaning heavily on Merlin - looked up with a goofy grin as he eyed the roof where the rope had snapped. "Lucky that, eh Merlin?" Gods, how did he get so drunk? Merlin winced as the smell of alcohol clouded his friend's breath and everything it went near. As his face turned away from the rancid smell, his gaze was drawn to the suspicious, narrowed eyed looks the two girls were giving the high-light, rope from which it fell and then examining the room. When the girl's gazes fell upon Merlin himself, reeling away from his stupidly grinning friend who was sagged against his shoulder, their faces broke out into grins.

Gwaine, disappointed from the lack of attention he was getting from his friend, followed his gaze to the two girls. His full pout turned into a dazzling grin. The golden skin girl cocked an eyebrow while the blonde rolled her eyes and made an effort to subtly keep her dress in one piece. "Beauties, aren't they?" Gwaine murmured to Merlin. "Come on girls! Are you coming with us? Or you gonna stick around for this lot to wake up?" With a glare at his cheek, both girls followed their allies out the tavern door.

Merlin had lost hold of Gwaine and he went running ahead, blinking rapidly as the figure disappeared around the corner, Merlin found him pulling something from his saddle pack. Rolling his eyes, the younger man went to go fetch his own horse.

The blonde walked confidently through the village, as if her holding her dress tightly to her was a normal occurrence for every woman in the town to take part in, while her friend glared fiercely at those who made snide remarks or gestures towards her closest friend and unofficial sister. As they passed the traveler they had met, Gwaine, he called out to them. Spinning around, the blonde glared ice while the level-headed brunette watched in some amusement. The handsome traveller dangled a cloak in front of him, teasing the blonde into taking it. Growling at him, the brunette had to cough to cover up the laughter. He was drunk! Couldn't she see that? Snatching the garment away from him, the smaller of the two stomped away to their temporary lodgings.

"What has a fella like you, got with my friend?" The brunette demanded, though amusement sparked her eye. He swung his head around, hair flipping as he did so (making the chocolate haired girl snort), to look at her. A sly grin crept onto his face.

"I used to be into golden skinned, curly, chocolate haired maidens, but after three refusals of my interest, I decided to switch my interest. I have found it quite appealing. Though I am sorry I made my choice *before* I met such a lady as you." Gwaine finished his poet's speech with a courtesan's flourish. Merlin came up behind them leading his horse. He looked... stressed, worried. Maybe even terrified.

"Gwaine, I'm sorry, but we need to go *now*!"

"Honestly, Merlin? What *is* the rush?" Two woeful sapphire eyes focused on the hazy brown eyes that belonged to a dreamer.

"Arthur's been kidnapped."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ta-da! That was the first little bit that one of us wrote :) As I said, this was purely for fun as we set ourselves in the magical world of Merlin (the babe).<strong>_

_**I have never put anything up before, so this should be interesting. I hope you guys find our adventures as awesome and yet funny as we did when writing them. Remember, we were rather obsessed ;)**_

_**Let me know what you think…**_

_**P.s. DHP, I miss you 3 you'll always be my sister xx**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Heya, thanks to anyone who just checked out about what this story was about! 3**_

_**Also, a special shout-out to **_**Mysterious Raven**_**, for the subscription!**_

_**Keep it cool guys!**_

* * *

><p>Gwaine's eyes widened and his brow creased in confusion.<p>

"Kidnapped? Someone *kidnapped* our young princely friend?" He swayed dangerously, liquor affecting both his movements and his words. "Well then, we'll just have to go save him then...once again! Lead the way, Merlin!" Gwaine sidestepped around the warlock and mounted his horse sloppily.

"Gwaine!" Merlin shouted out as the horse shied and whinnied at its drunken rider. "Gwaine, you're really in no condition to be-"

"Not to worry Merlin! We'll have Arthur back in no time!" Gwaine attempted to kick the horse into action and promptly fell off the other side with a heavy thud.

The normally docile mare pranced around the fallen man, tossing its head and rolling its eyes in aggravation. Acting quickly to make sure that Gwaine wasn't trampled, the brunette that Merlin had forgotten was even present stepped lightly to the mare's side.

"Whoa! Whoa! Steady girl, steady! That idiot of a man won't come near you again, I'll make sure of it!" She reached out and placed a hand on the steed's neck, sending a half amused, half annoyed look in Gwaine's direction.

"You spend half your time drunk, the other half brawling! Remind me again why we agreed to travel with you?" she muttered, shaking her head.

"Because, Lexi my dear, you and Hannah were about to be sold off to a group of bandits and I, being the kind hearted man I am, offered my help!" The curly haired woman scowled at the reminder of her narrowly escaped fate. Gwaine noticed and attempted to lighten the mood with a sly wink. "Plus, you just couldn't resist my natural charm."

This earned him a small, albeit venomous smile. "Oh, dream on! Two words for you my friend – Not. Interested."

Gwaine was about to reply with some witty retort, but was interrupted by the blonde's (Hannah, Gwaine had called her) reappearance. She had changed out of her shreaded dress, and was now clothed in light grey breeches and a soft blue tunic, with Gwaine's navy travelling cloak fastened around her neck and two small bags clutched in her hand.

"I'm back, and Lexi, I've got all our belongings…so, what's going on?" she asked, looking between her three new companions.

Lexi pivoted, so she was standing beside Hannah and facing Merlin.

"I'm not sure. I heard something about kidnapping and a rescue mission?" She raised a single brown brow, inviting Merlin to elaborate.

"Well, my…. erm,*friend*, has been kidnapped and-"

"And now we must set off as his royal-highnesses rescue party!" Gwaine interjected from the ground, his fist raised in the air in a mock salute.

Lexi's face hardened at his words, her eyes narrowing. Hannah sent a barely perceptible glance in her friend's direction, a worried frown creasing her brow. Merlin noted all this with mild confusion. What had caused the change in mood?

"Oh, so he's *royalty*, eh? Who says we *want* to rescue him then? Just what this land needs – more merciless tyrants!"

Merlin gave her a startled look. "No, he's not like that-"

"Oh really? Where's he from then?" Lexi stared at him, hands on hips and expression daring him to find an answer she liked.

"Camel-"

"*Camelot!* There is no way in hell I am rescuing anyone of Camelot royal blood!" Lexi's eyes flashed, before her mouth dropped in a sudden realisation. "Wait," She hissed, "he wouldn't happen to be *Uther*, would he? That murdering, tyrannous, *bast-*"

Merlin looked downright scared now. "NO! Not King Uther, the prince, *Arthur*!"

Lexi snorted and was about to reply with just what she thought of any son of Uther's, when Hannah's head snapped up.

"Arthur? The Once and Future King…" She trailed off, her sapphire eyes slightly unfocused.

"Um, yeah… that'd be him." Merlin replied, his attention switching to the blonde as he stared at her curiously.

"Han? Hannah, what do you know about this prince?" Lexi placed a hand on her friends shoulder, effectively breaking her out of her trance.

"Lexi!" Hannah whispered, voice low so that only her friend could hear. "We *have* to go. THIS is what I've been…seeing. Arthur! Everything revolves around *Arthur*!" Her wide eyes bored into Lexi's hazel ones, willing her to understand.

The brunette let out a huff, her scowl deepening.

"If we must…" She turned back to Merlin, arms crossed. "Okay, we're in. But I warn you, if the boy is *anything* like the royalty from…from… oh, never mind!" With that, she turned on her heel and headed back towards the tavern, taking one of the bags from Hannah as she passed.

Merlin's eyes still held lingering traces of confusion, but he seemed glad that the girls had agreed to come along. Watching the fiery girl's retreating figure, he called out to her.

"Where are you going? The horses are this way!"

A dry laugh reached his ears. "You can hardly expect me to ride wearing a *dress* can you? I'm just getting changed, I'll be back."

"But what if your brothers and those bandits wake up?" Gwaine added in from his place in the dirt.

She turned back to face them, hand on her hip, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Trust me, I can handle them."

And with that, she disappeared from view.

Hannah let out a relieved sigh. "Sorry about her. She can be a bit… tempered at times. These past few months have not been easy for us…" she trailed off cryptically with another sad sigh, before continuing in a lighter tone. "But things are looking up now. We've made new friends, and now we're about to set off on a grand adventure!" her words were accompanied by a warm smile, which turned amused as her gaze fell on Gwaine, still seated on the ground.

"Err… Gwaine? What *are* you doing all the way down there?"

He let out a low chuckle. "Well, I'm not quite sure…" He heaving himself back to his feet, immediately swaying and almost losing his footing.

"Arghh! I remember now!" He clutched his head. "My head…" he let out a low groan, glancing sheepishly at Hannah and Merlin.

"Remind me never to get that drunk, *ever* again!"

The two onlookers huffed out a laugh. "As if you'd listen!" Merlin quipped.

"Well!" Gwaine began, ignoring the snide comment. "Now that we have put together a brave and daring rescue party, let's get going!" He remounted his horse, this time managing to stay seated as once again, his mare whinnied in protest.

Hannah strapped her bag to her saddle and mounted her palomino mare, careful not to jostle her ornate long bow which was wrapped in a waterproof blanket and carefully stored near the saddle's pommel, complete with a set of a dozen or so arrows and a quiver.

Merlin followed suit, giving his docile bay a quick pat before clambering into the saddle.

After a minute or two of waiting, Lexi reappeared, this time clad in a forest green tunic accompanied by light brown breeches. Strapped to her hip was a long sword, barely hidden by her deep brown cloak and stored in a finely woven sheath.

Gwaine let out a low whistle. "Now *that* is not yours. Where in hell's name did you get a sword like that? And more importantly, can you use it?"

Lexi smiled as she mounted her beloved black stallion with a lithe bound. "Oh, one of the bandits seemed all too eager to lend it to me, and it's far better than my previous blade." She unclipped her old, battle worn blade from her saddlebags, letting it fall to the ground, discarded. She then drew her new sword and gave it an experimental twirl and slice before re-sheathing it. "And can I wield it? Why of course I can."

This earned her a laugh and some impressed looks from her companions, as the four of them kicked their steeds into a steady trot.

"So, where are we headed next?" Hannah enquired after mere seconds of silence.

"Next, we head into Bayard's realm, Mercia, in search of an old friend." Merlin replied with a grim smile. "Lancelot."

* * *

><p><strong>The end of another chapter ^^<strong>

**If you want to, let me know what you think! Thank you :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Well, what can I say? I am so so sorry to whoever actually bothers to read this. I didn't mean to stop uploading, but I dunno... school is stressful. Bleh, doing double extension maths is a pain, but I can't complain :) I'm keeping up!**_

__**_Anywho, another special shout out to_ LucyRider17 _who is a wonderful wonderful person for checking out this story and making my day ^.^_**

_**HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYBODY!**_

_**Or happy Singles Awareness Day ;)**_

**3**

* * *

><p>Hannah looked skeptically at Merlin and Gwaine. "Lancelot? That is an… unusual name." She muttered dryly, before speeding up to try ease her mare's fidgeting by being at the head of the group. "Like he uses a lance – a lot."<p>

Lexi rolled her eyes. "She's always had a *great* sense of humor when she's stressed." Shaking her head, she pulled on the reins of her horse. "Come on, we're loosing daylight." As Lexi caught up to Hannah, Merlin and Gwaine just looked at each other bewildered.

"Just *when* did two girls highjack this rescue mission?" Merlin mumbled. Gwaine let out a round of hearty laughter as the two friends kicked their steeds into action.

"God knows boy! But don't take these two for granted, I think they'll continue to surprise us for a long, long time." Merlin looked at Gwaine, brow crinkled.

"All of a sudden your sounding very sober."

"Am I?" Gwaine shrugged. Then he winked at Merlin before riding a little faster to catch up with the girls. Ever so slowly, a grin crept onto Merlin's face. He continued watching 'drunk' Gwaine play up in front of the two girls.

•^•

Merlin walked out of the campsite, leaving it up to Gwaine to watch their belongings, while the young sorcerer found the two girls. The forest they were in was thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years old. The trees were hundreds of meters high, Merlin was sure there wasn't one that was under 2, maybe 300 meters.

Try as he might, Merlin couldn't find the girls or their trail. Instead he was forced to rely on his magic to guide him to an exceptionally large red wood tree. There he found Hannah sitting amongst the branches as she sharpened what looked like throwing stars?

"There from a land far from here. People of deadly elegance walk the land as they care for it and fight each other." Hannah said without looking up. "Lexi and I had teachers from there."

"And how do two travelers acquire such teachers?" Merlin asked slowly. He froze when she looked up, blue eyes flashing warningly.

"That is none of your business." Then Lexi dropped out of the tree next to her friend.

"What is our business though is why we are here." She prodded. Merlin sighed and looked up where Lexi had come from.

"Hold on, how did you drop down here without, well, dyeing?" Lexi rolled her eyes.

"Ever heard of a rope? Even I'm not that good. Come on, I want to show you something." Grabbing Merlin by the waistline of his pants, the exotic girl climbed awkwardly until she reached her rope and tied him to it. The young Warlock was frozen in fear as he dangled by a slim rope, 50 meters above the ground. He was briefly aware of Hannah climbing the tree at one stage, but he was mainly focusing on the way the rope tugged on him and he began to rise. He wasn't even aware of his hands covering his mouth until Lexi gently pried them away. Instead they instantly smacked over his eyes. One of the girls sighed.

"Come on, Merlin. You have to see this. It's beautiful." Hannah whispered in awe. Merlin slowly removed his hands and, too, gaped in complete awe. They were sitting in the canopy of the trees, this single tree being the tallest for 1,000 meters in any direction so they got a view like no other. Above a sea of emerald leaves, showed blue mountains in the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, reflecting the sky in hundreds of shades of pinks, violets, blues, golds and oranges. Colourful birds reflected the colour as their songs washed over Merlin, the ocean of leaves blocking the sound from reaching the earth.

"Now, why are we here?" Lexi asked, demanding an answer this time.

"I am Prince Arthur's… friend. We are so close that we know probably just about everything of each other." Almost, Merlin though to himself, Arthur still didn't know he had magic. "A couple of days ago he told his father of his plans to hunt at dinner and that night, well, somehow he was kidnapped. I found a ransom note when I came to… visit him. So I told my guardian of my plans to follow him and I left."

"Is this guardian of yours trustworthy?"

"I would trust him with all our lives. I would have told Uther to send out his guards, but there is sorceress who lives there who pretends to be a friend. She is Uther's ward and would have me killed if I tried to expose her. She would inform her treacherous sister right away of what Uther's plan was. That is why I had leave without a word to anyone. I can't do this alone so I am gathering Gwaine and Lancelot."

"But, Merlin, who took Arthur?"

"The druids were the ones to take him. But they were contacted by the Lady Morganna's sister, from a King across the sea by the name of Wareken. I don't know why he wants to conquer Camelot, but he does. I have to stop him. Lexi? What's wrong?" The girl's eyes were full of rage and Hannah's with tears.

"Wareken is the one who kidnapped and Murdered my family."

Merlin's jaw dropped, his lips forming a comical 'O' of shock.

"Wait... What?" He spluttered, almost loosing his grip and falling from his precarious perch.

Lexi's face hardened. "Look, I've said all I'll say. I *really* don't want to talk about it. That bastard of a man slaughtered my entire family, and that's all there is too it. If this quest leads us to Wareken, then all the better. I'll kill him." And with that, she turned and scampered away, her chocolate curls bouncing as she swung down through the thick branches of the tree. Merlin shuddered at the look of cold fury and utter hatred in the girls eyes. Whatever had happened in her past to cause her to look like that, it must have been *bad*. And despite her words, it was more than clear that there was a lot more to the story than she was letting on.

Merlin tore his gaze from the quivering branches which were the only sign of Lexi's departure, and turned to the blonde who still sat beside him.

"Hannah... What happened?"

"Look, it's best you don't bring up that man in front of Lexi any more than is entirely necessary. It's... a bit of a sore spot. Well, more than that actually. But I really can't tell you more, not without her consent. She'd never forgive me." Hannah gave a humourless chuckle, which melded into a sad sigh. "We've been through hell and back, Lexi and I..." She trailed off, sapphire eyes reflecting the dying sun as she gazed into the horizon.

"Um... Is that why Lexi reacted so badly before to the mention of royalty?" Merlin enquired as he remembered her seemingly unwarranted reaction from before.

"Yeah, that'd be why. Nobles, royalty... the lot of them. From that time onwards, she lost all trust in not only them, but most strangers too. Both of us did. In fact, the only reason we're here with you now is because Lexi trusts me, and my judgement. And I just have this... this *feeling* that you and Gwaine are trustworthy, and this is where we're supposed to be." She finished with a smile, despite the salty tears which still glistened in her eyes.

"Thankyou." Merlin murmured, unable to find anything else to say in the face of such emotion.

"S'all right." Hannah replied. "Just know... Lexi and I aren't like your average, stuffy headed women. So tread carefully." She gave him a little grin, before dropping suddenly to the branches below as though to prove her point.

Watching as Hannah clambered lower and lower, Merlin had a sudden realization.

"Hannah? Wait! HANNAH!" I can't get down!"

A short hour later, everyone had regrouped at the campfire, bed rolls set up and horses grazing nearby.

Merlin was still looking a bit shaken, after having spent at least 20 minutes at the top of the tree, alone and unsecured. Of course, he could have used magic to get down if he really wanted, but it was just too risky, and he didn't want to give up his secret to these strangers. At least, not yet.

Eventually, a highly amused Lexi had appeared through the dense foliage, carrying her trusty rope and non-nonchalantly offering him help getting down. After seeing that none of the previous anger remained in her features, Merlin had taken up her offer (after all, how else would he have gotten down?), and now here they were, lazing around the steadily burning fire.

A surprisingly loud rumble broke the comfortable silence, followed by a hearty chuckle.

"Well, I'm starving! What do the rest of you say to some food?" Gwaine addressed the group.

"Err, do we even *have* any food?" Hannah queried, eyes coming to rest upon Merlin, who was the only one who had really prepared for this journey.

After a chorus of murmured 'no's, followed by groans all round, Lexi jumped to her feet.

"Not to worry! Hannah and I'll get us something to eat."

"Isn't it a bit too dark to go mushroom picking?" Gwaine asked with a frown.

Lexi scoffed. "*Mushroom picking?* Just who do you think I am? No, I'm gonna get us some *real* food. Meat!" She rubbed her hands together in gleeful anticipation, before turning to retrieve her weapon.

"Hannah, I'm borrowing you're bow, okay?" She called over her shoulder. Then, without waiting for an answer, the brunette buckled her sword to her hip and slung a quiver on her back, Hannah's bow in hand.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Why of course you can borrow my bow Lexi, thanks for asking." Sarcasm layered her voice. She then turned to the boys. "I, on the other hand, will not participate in Lexi's slaughter of innocent animals. I shall go mushroom picking." She said with a cheeky wink, as she grabbed a cloth bag from her pack.

Two incredulous voices spoke up at once.

"But it's *dark*!" Merlin's protested at the same time Gwaine turned to Hannah and asked, "You don't eat *meat*?"

Lexi laughed melodiously. "Merlin, who cares if it's dark? The animals are still out - more so in fact, and the dark doesn't bother me. I love the night. And if it's our safety your worried about, don't be. Hannah and I can look after ourselves." Hannah grinned at the comment as she clipped a pouch full of her strange stars to her belt, armed and ready.

"Oh, and Gwaine? I wouldn't bug Hannah too much on the no-meat thing. She's a strict vegetarian, and she gets pretty feisty about it. Me, on the other hand, I'm a carnivore. Couldn't live without meat."

Gwaine nodded his agreement at Lexi's statement, and Merlin still looked like he thought they were crazy. Which wasn't surprising seeing as it was currently pitch-black and they were in the middle of a strange forest.

"Well, ciao ciao le mie amiche!" The foreign words rolled of Lexi's tongue, and the boys barely had time to voice their questions before the girls melted into the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>3 Thanks for reading 3<strong>

**Just a quick fun-fact:**

**Before Valentines Day became a big excuse for commercial junk, it had an amazing beginning :3**

**_~ During the 3rd century, the Roman Emperor Claudius II decreed that marriage was to be outlawed, as men who did not have their own families were more willing to fight, as well as appearing to be better at combat._**

**_However a priest named Valentine thought that this was incredibly unjust; so he continued to marry young couples in secret._**

**_Unfortunately, word had reached the Emperor and he sent men to arrest Valentine. He was sent to prison and sentenced to death._**

**_While awaiting his fate, Valentine fell in love and just before he was to be hung, he wrote a note to his lady._**

**_At the bottom of the note, he signed _**

**_"From your Valentine"_**

**_He was hung on February the 14th. ~_**

**_~ Now it wasn't until the end of the 5th century that Pope Gelasius officially decreed that the 14th of February was St. Valentines day. However Valentine was a man who was a saviour to many and he deserves to be remembered. Many may argue that there are 'better' people out there, but Valentine stood for something simple and beautiful; Love. He would not let it die. However Valentines day has changed, while we show more care for others on this day, we have lost what it means._**

**_May we never truly forget in Valentine. Happy Valentines Day ~_  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

_**I thought that I might upload another chapter because it's Valentines Day :)**_

_**Happy Valentines Day ~ Don't forget what it truly means**_

_** ~ And don't forget what love truly is**_

* * *

><p>Hannah was the last one to arrive back at the camp, Lexi had already returned with three plump rabbits and she and Gwaine had split the un- pleasantries of skinning and gutting the creatures before Gwaine stuck them on a long stick and roasted them over the fire. Occasionally Lexi would throw a couple of herbs onto the beasts that she had in one of her saddlebags. Merlin, Lexi and Gwaine ate a surprisingly delicious meal of Rabbit with roasted mushrooms flavored with herbs, followed by some berries Hannah had found.<p>

Gwaine woke up to see the smoldering fire just glowing dim in the fireplace. Despite being a heavy drinker, he was extremely fast to wake up when he wanted to. Moving silently as possible, he moved his body so that he went from lying in his sleeping bag to sitting on his heels, reaching slowly for his sword. Standing up, he made his way over to the figure shrouded in shadows.

When he was only a couple of feet away, Gwaine pounced on it. He slapped a hand over the shadow's mouth, so that Hannah couldn't scream. "Ssshhh, ssshhh. It's just me." Gwaine quickly shushed, making sure that Lexi or Merlin hadn't been woken up. They had decided to take watches, Lexi taking the first and Hannah the second. Now it was Gwaine's turn, but Hannah hadn't woken him up so he had to wake himself. When he was sure she wasn't going to yell out, he removed his hands.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" She hissed at him. He grinned wolfishly at her.

"Playing pounce."

"Yeah, well, I don't appreciate it!" She hissed. He shrugged.

"Well it was fun to me." Gwaine had moved do that his back was against a tree while he watched Hannah scan the almost oppressive darkness around them. When she had shuddered and pinched her arm for the third time he decided what he would do. Ask. "Why do you do that?"

Hannah knew exactly what he meant as se sighed in defeat. "The dark isn't exactly the best place for a seer. We see more, see things that aren't there if we're near some strong power. Some things I've seen, some things I know..." She shuddered again and Gwaine grabbed her wrist before she could pinch herself. The warrior pulled her so she was pressed against him and wrapped his free arm around her waist.

"Why don't you go to bed? It's my turn for watch anyways." Nodding deftly, it seemed she hadn't even realised what close proximity she'd shared with a man not moments before. Gwaine went a couple of feet to collect a couple of things that could be thrown into the fire before stoking it up and sitting by the edge of camp.

When the fire died down again an hour later, Gwaine got up to get more fire wood. As he bent to pick up a large stick, a pair of boots stood right in front of him. Gwaine didn't even have to think as he drew his sword lightning quick and turned defensive to the man. It was lucky he did as the now-obviously bandit brought down an axe where his foe's head had just been.

The axe man dropped dead as two throwing stars caught him in the chest. Then another man dropped from the trees with a silver arrow in his chest, after the familiar twang of a bowstring was set off behind him. It wasn't all that much of a surprise when Lexi ran forwards and chopped at another bandit that had come from the foliage. That girl had some serious speed! The fight went like that, Lexi and Gwaine slicing at opponents with their swords as mess of throwing stars and arrows found their way into opponents. Everyone paused as a branch fell from one of tall, tall trees, right onto a threesome of bandits that had crept around the back of camp. Then the fight was back on in full force.

In the distance there was the sound of a horn, the sound specifically belonging to horns used commonly by large bandit or raider groups. There was a sudden flare of heat behind Lexi and Gwaine before flaming arrows rained down in volleys of two to four arrows at a time. They exploded after a moment of impact, soon sending the bandits retreating.

The four companions speedily packed what little they had left, making sure to douse the fire, before mounting their frantic mounts and galloping further into the forest.

"This way!" Hannah called, sapphire eyes laced with silver and the black pupils turned purely to a startling silver/white colour. Gwaine and Merlin guessed she must have been using get sight to guide them away from the bandits and as quickly as possible towards the border of Mercia.

The horses were pushed to their limits, Hannah's and Merlin's taking the lead in the race to safety. Merlin had to blink as he recognised the great river that divided the lands of Uther and Bayard, with the sapphire flags on one side and the ruby on the other. He didn't have time to think as his horse followed Lexi's in a jump over the river, the chocolate haired girl still devotedly following her friend. Yet still, onwards the quartet rode, going deeper and deeper into unknown enemy territory.

Gwaine used the light in the sky to determine that they had been riding for almost four hours until they stopped. Hannah literally fell off her horse and the beast lowered it's self onto the ground as it panted heavily. The blonde was also panting as she grudgingly stood and lead her horse to water that Lexi had pointed out.

As the two men drew their horses, shaking with exhaustion, to the spring, Lexi rounded on the younger with fists on her hips and a half annoyed, half angry look on her face. She glared pointedly at Merlin.

"You're a sorcerer."

Merlin's eyes widened slightly at the bluntness of her statement, before he carefully schooled his features into a look of polite incredulity.

He scoffed slightly. "What? No I'm not. What on earth would cause you to say that?" He turned away from Lexi's piercing hazel gaze, preoccupying himself by unsaddling his horse in order to hide his panic.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are. Hannah and I both know. For one who has so much to hide, you truly are awful at lying. The chandelier yesterday at the tavern, and the branch today when those bandits attacked us. Coincidence? I think not. Plus, the strength of your magic is upsetting Hannah. You're putting her of balance, causing her to see things more frequently, vividly and intensely. You have magic Merlin, and strong magic at that."

Merlin's jaw opened and closed a couple of times in shock. Eventually he settled on laughing breathily and muttering. "Wow. You two are *so* much more observant that Arthur. I forget that not all people write falling branches off as good luck." Then a small frown creased his brow. "Hannah is magic." He said slowly.

Lexi's eyes narrowed. "Yes, she is. Our... former home didn't have any laws against the use of magic. Which is why she is more open when displaying her abilities. She is a primarily a seer, but she can also perform basic magic - lighting fires, creating light and such. You on the other hand, are powerful. Hannah told both you and Gwaine about her magic. You, on the other hand, *didn't*. Am I correct in assuming that Gwaine doesn't know either?"

Merlin stared at her. What had he gotten himself into with these two? They were the ones putting *him* off balance!

"No, he doesn't know. Camelot has the death penalty on magic, so very few know of my... gifts."

"I won't tell him, I promise. It's better for you to do that. He is your loyal friend Merlin, he can be trusted. Hannah and I too, will guard your secret. I am not annoyed that you have magic to start with - I'm just annoyed that you didn't think to share it with us before we got pulled off on this adventure."

A small, sheepish smile crept onto the warlock's face. "Thankyou. And... I'm sorry. For not telling you."

A smile graced her lips. "Don't worry too much about it. This trip should be easy, what with *two* magic users along with us. You can set up protective spells and the like?"

In truth, he'd never tried. Any times he might have been able to set up barriers, the risk of being seen had been too great. But he assumed he could, if he tried... Merlin nodded in the affirmative.

"Good. Well, seeing as the horses are exhausted now, we may as well set up camp here. It's only just after midday, so we'll have heaps of time to let them recover, and do some relaxing ourselves too. Make sure that a decent area is covered, with enough room to pitch our tents in." She gave him an encouraging smile, before turning to her patiently waiting stallion. Gently stroking his black velvet cheek, she murmured a few incoherent words as she took off it's tack.

Her steed was a sight to behold in all it's muscular glory. His entire coat was a solid shimmering ebony, mane flowing in gentle waves down the graceful arch of his neck. He gazed at his master, peaceful adoration in his expressive brown orbs as she stroked and pampered him.

Once the horse was free of all obstructions, he gently butted his head against his master's chest.

"Si, si." Lexi smiled as once again, foreign words rolled off her tongue. "Vola, Ombra, essere liberi ma non randagi!" After a final pat, the ebony beauty tossed his head and whinnied a farewell before setting off at a prancing gallop to where the other horses were grazing by the lake. A few meters from the horses, Hannah and Gwaine were standing by the water's edge, and as Lexi watched, Gwaine snuck up behind the blond and gave her a playful shove, laughing loudly as she tumbled into the water. Lexi's eyes crinkled with mirth as she watched Hannah retaliate, starting what was sure to be an epic water fight.

Bringing herself back to the present, Lexi turned back to her companion, who was watching her curiously.

"That language you spoke..."

Merlin's curiosity doubled as he watched Lexi's reaction, her shoulder's tensing as she prepared to clam up to his questions.

"What of it?" She asked hesitantly.

"It most certainty wasn't English, and I know it isn't the language of the Old Religion. What tongue were you speaking?"

Lexi let out a small sigh, seeing no harm in sharing the information with him. "It is the language of my people, an ancient race who live south of here, across the sea and the great mountain range. It is a beautiful tongue, but one that few else know, spare those who live in my own land. It is not common as the English speech, and as Hannah is known only in the English tongue, Ombra is the only one I can talk to in my language."

Merlin nodded, awed by her story and the thought of living so far away, across seas and mountains and where an entirely different tongue was spoken.

"Who is Ombra?" He queried.

Lexi smiled fondly, eyes unconsciously flicking to her black stallion. "It is the name of my horse, whom I've had since birth. His name means 'shadow' in my tongue, and he was raised to understand the language." Gaze switching to the steadily rising sun, she deftly changed the subject. Now, dear Merlin, I shall go and freshen up at the lake. You, be sure to set up the protections, and then you should join us too. I'll probably be able to catch some nice fish, which'll make for a nice filling dinner. After all, you look like you could do with some fattening up!"

Merlin looked at her incredulously, scoffing lightly.

"Yes *mother*." He replied sarcastically at her protective, mothering tone.

She gave him a sharp edged grin. "What can I say? There's something about you that makes me feel sure you need looking after. Take care, Merlin."

And with that, she was off, bounding away along the same path as her steed and with much of the same agility and grace, heading towards the splashes and happy squeals that were her other two companions.

* * *

><p><strong>For any others who knew what Valentines Day is truly about, then I hope that I don't get anyone trying to tell me I got the story wrong.<strong>

**Because it was so long ago, the story of Saint Valentine has many variations. The one I gave at the end of the last chapter was the one I have been raised with and the one I believe in. I believe in the others as well, because who is to say what is right and wrong when none of us were there? But it is far more beautiful then any of the cursed junk they come up with in stores these days to sell cheep, $2 pieces of junk. Those who go out and do truly something special in the name of love though, even if they don't know what Valentines Day really is, they are the ones that actually do something meaningful :)**

**I have got to say I feel bad though, because I know a little boy who bought a flower from a charity stand and finally gave it to the girl he liked. However she told him that she wouldn't be his Valentine because he liked poetry and 'normal' guys don't like poetry. My heart cries for him...  
>But what he said to me, was that obviously she wasn't a nice girl and knew he would be better off without someone like that.<strong>

**Once again Happy St. Valentines Day everybody :) **


	5. Chapter 5

_**:) Next chapter! Sorry to people that are keeping up with this story, but I'm purposely spacing it out a little.**_

_**Short Author's Note this time, hope like the chapter...**_

* * *

><p>Hannah knew what Lexi was about to say to Merlin, so she decided it would be best to take Gwaine away while her friend sorted out the problem that proved in the form of a very powerful warlock.<p>

At the lake that was near by, the blonde girl swung her legs around and dismounted from her horse with ease. That was more than could be said for Gwaine, with legs like wood planks, more or less fell off his horse.

"I guess you're not used to riding hard for hours on end?" Hannah guessed.

"And you are?" The man retorted. Hannah just blinked.

"Yes." One of those moments where an awkward silence took hold and grew until Gwaine took a couple of steps and groaned. Hannah began to laugh. "Aw, I feel sorry for you right now. I remember when I had to get used to the hard riding years ago. It's going to be a lot worse in the morning, I can promise you that."

Gwaine winced and groaned as he took another step. "Any recommended remedies?" His voice sounded strangled.

"A good long soak and then Lexi should have some muscle-relaxing salve to rub on your legs." She glowered at his cheeky smirk. "You can put that on *yourself*!" It took all of Gwaine's focus not to roll on the floor laughing. Unfortunately he failed and watched as the girl he was teasing promptly ignore him and went to stand by her horse.

Still grinning to himself, Gwaine snuck up behind Hannah and pushed her in the water. She went down with a yelp but launched straight back up and pulled Gwaine in as well.

Hannah was laughing before Gwaine tackled her around the waist back into the deeper water rather than the waist deep slope they had been odd. The two 'adults' splashed each other mercilessly as they treaded water.

Finally Gwaine attempted to escape by swimming for the shore of the lake. Somehow Hannah anticipated this and latched on. Gwaine assumed she must have been tired, but was proved wrong when he got up when the water got too shallow and headed for the edge of the lake. Hannah jumped up and tackled him face down into the water. It was shallow enough that if he turned his head, Gwaine could breathe without difficulty, but the way she was sitting on his back with his arm twisted, he knew that he wouldn't be able to get up without serious injury. So he stayed put.

After a while, Gwaine couldn't stand Hannah's smug silence and couldn't stop himself from breaking it. "So how do you know Lexi?"

Hannah actually seemed surprised by the question. "Um, well, my family were servants to her family."

"Ah, so you were training to be her maid? Wait, she's a noble?"

"No, when I was young I went to an apprenticeship -"

"Is that to do with band around your finger?" Hannah was baffled. "I saw it there. It took me a while, but I noticed. At first I thought it was a ring, but I realised it seemed to be *apart* of your skin. How?"

"It doesn't matter." Hannah hissed at him and pulled back her hand to hide it. "Anyways once I had finished my apprenticeship, I went back to stay with my family. I was 14 then and had only gone to see my family twice since I had left.

"Though we are practically sisters now, back then I was... less than friendly. I didn't trust easy, or open up at all. Lexi on the other hand, was friendly and friends with everyone, beautiful, athletic, skilled, natural leader, a genius and out shined everyone. Needless to say I was instantly jealous. I also though she was too good to be true. My parents begged me to the point of them being on their knees and pleading with me, to be nice to her and give her a chance. To see she was really a 'lovely girl' - as they put it. That only made me more resentful; my parents loved her like their own daughter.

"However, because my family worked so closely to Lexi's, she had heard of me and came to make friends. I kept pushing her away, but – being Lexi – this just made her all the more persistent. Well, eventually I caved. I still find it so bizarre to think that I wanted nothing more than to hate her." Gwaine wriggled slightly, seeing as Hannah's attention was somewhere far away and not here and planning to escape. However, like everything else, that backfired on him. Her hands tightened and applied pressure to his arm, causing him to hiss in pain. Her smile was all dreamy as it grew softly. "Nice try, Romeo." She murmured, still looking into the distance.

"Romeo?" Who or what was that? To his absolute surprise and amusement, Hannah blushed a deep pink.

"A man long dead. He was a noble who… well, he's in a story now that has been told for generations throughout the kingdom Lexi and I are from. It was originally in the old language, but was translated ages ago into this tongue."

"I see." No he didn't. They both knew that, but Hannah would let him keep his male pride. "So you never answered my question about Lexi being a noble."

"No I didn't."

A silence descended, like so often since arriving at the lake.

"And?" Gwaine prompted.

"Why don't you ask Lexi yourself?"

"Yes, why don't you ask me?" Said girl said as she walked towards the lake. She studied the predicament Gwaine was in and raised an eyebrow. "Having fun there?"

"Mmm." Hannah certainly sounded satisfied.

"Are you going to let him up?" Gwaine swore he saw the corner of her mouth twitch.

"No." Hannah said innocently, shaking her head ever so slightly. "His legs are sore from the ride and he needs to soak them in water."

Grinning, Lexi decided it would be best to go fetch her salve.

* * *

><p><strong>Voila et merci :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**GOOD MORNING! :) Honestly I don't know if it _is _actually morning whenever you are reading this, however I tend to say 'morning' to people no matter what time of day it is.**

**Stay fresh!**

* * *

><p>Walking back into the camp, Lexi allowed a small frown to slip into place upon her lips. This Gwaine... She'd have to keep a closer eye on him and Hannah. She knew a fair bit about his character and had deemed him trustworthy long ago, but whether or not he could be trusted with her best friends heart was another matter entirely. Hannah just seemed so... *relaxed* with him. And for one who was always cautious and hesitant with strangers, that in itself spoke volumes. By the gods, she had almost told him... well, everything!<p>

Lexi hadn't *really* been trying to evesdrop. After all, their voices had been rather loud. But what she *had* heard had caused her to listen intently, and eventually interrupt before too much was revealed. There were some things, (such as promise of large sums of money), which could cause *anyone* to break a bond of trust and friendship. And she didn't want Merlin and Gwaine to be the people who did that to Hannah and herself. It was just too *risky*.

Well, she'd just have to have a little chat with Hannah later on the matter of secrets, and her wayward heart.

Lexi looked up as she entered the campsite, breaking herself out of her musings. She was met with the sight of Merlin, standing back from a wide clearing with a satisfied smile adorning his face.

"Ah, Merlin, well done. I see you've put the barriers up."

"Oh, thankyo... Wait, how'd you know? They're invisible!"

"All magic leaves traces. For example, I can tell you started a spell right here... And here, and ended one over there." She carefully pointed out small patches of earth. "When living in a magical kingdom, you pick up certain survival skills. Detecting magic without magic of your own is one of them."

Merlin guessed he should just expect the unexpected from now on when it came to these two. "Whaa..? Is there anything you *don't* know? And what do you mean by 'trace'?"

She moved around him and knelt on the ground by his feet. "Look." Once again she pointed a finger at the ground. "See how the air above this spot shimmers? It's almost like heat distortion. You can barely see it, but when you know what to look for, it's relatively easy. Of course, each spell's trace looks slightly different."

Merlin nodded, noticing for the first time the slight haze. That skill would certainly come in handy later on.

"Now, on a completely different matter..." She straightened from her crouch in one smooth movement, until she was eye to eye with Merlin, her expression adopting a serious air.

"It's about Hannah and Gwaine. I'm... well, to be truthful, I'm worried. From what I know of Gwaine, he's a drunkard and a player, and now he's set his sights on Hannah. I wouldn't normally be concerned... But it seems she is besotted with the fellow. Is it even *possible* for his intentions to be honorable?"

"Well..." Merlin began, running a hand through his raven locks. He too had noticed the growing... *thing* between his friend and the seer. "Gwaine may appear to be an entirely superficial man, but he can be a loyal, trustworthy and sincere when he see's fit to be. I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure Hannah can deal with him, should be try and break her heart."

At his words, Lexi's eyes blazed, alight with newly lit anger. "Not that I'd let him get even get *close* to doing such a thing!" She hissed. "We have been through enough these past few years, the last thing we need is some meddling man trying to mess it all up! We came on this quest to get away from it all, and to save your friend's royal ass. NOT so that we could end up worse than we started!" Her cheeks were tinged with red, her words hinting at a simmering anger against something far greater than this simple argument. He feared for whatever, or *whom*ever had caused such anger and hatred to grow inside her.

"You really do have a protective streak, don't you?" Merlin murmured, carefully gauging her reaction. He hoped by keeping it light, and focusing on her attitude rather than her words, he could guide her away from the danger zone.

"Yes I do, and many have learnt the hard way to fear the times it mixes with my aggressive streak. And I have every right to be protective - to be cautious! After all that's happened, how could I *not* feel over-protective of my friends and family? How could I *not* act the way I do? Hannah and Ombra are all I have left!" As though realizing she'd said one thing too much, her jaw snapped shut, and her eyes screwed closed, fingers coming to rest upon her throbbing temples before sweeping agitatedly through her chocolate curls.

"You can't keep doing that you know. Hinting at bits of your past, revealing that there's something there to tell, and yet not giving us the whole picture. Why do you do it? If it's so important, could you not share it with us?"

A soft sigh slipped unguarded through her lips. "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell. Sometimes... it all just gets too much - staying positive and carefree while it feels as though the weight of the world rests on your shoulders. But no. The time is not right. You are not ready." Her voice dropped to a shivering whisper. "*I* am not ready..."

As though on cue, a dripping wet Hannah and Gwaine stumbled into the clearing, breaking the heavy silence which had newly fallen. Looking around and seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere, Gwaine rubbed his hands together happily. "Well done Merlin! Got the tents set up and everything!"

Hannah, who was walking slightly behind Gwaine, stopped in her tracks, her eyes momentarily clouding over in an eerie silver. She hummed lightly, a crooked smile alighting upon her lips. "Well done indeed, Merlin..." She murmured, reaching out and resting a hand against what appeared to be thin air, but Lexi and Merlin knew to be to the invisible barriers and protective enchantments.

As Hannah walked over to stand beside Gwaine, he casually slung an arm over her shoulders, pulling her against his side as she shivered daintily. "How about a fire? My little lady is freezing over here!" He chuckled as he begun to gently rubbed a hand up and down Hannah's arm, creating a small amount of warmth through friction.

Lexi's eyes widened dangerously, her eyes locked on Gwaine's casual embrace. She tensed up, before turning away and walking over to her bag. Back visibly stiff, she rummaged around in her pack before withdrawing, a few odd items in her hands. Eyes now narrowed dangerously, she lobbed a small tube at Gwaine, seeming satisfied when he had to break his hold in order to catch it.

"It's the salve." She practically growled, before moving onto her next item. "These are firestarters. There should be enough dry wood around the camp to make a fire. Do *not* wander off, any of you. I'm going to catch some lunch... dinner - whatever. And to, well, cool off a bit. Stay safe." And without another word, she had pulled a rope from her belt and cast it into a tree, disappearing in the foliage above with barely a whisper to betray her whereabouts.

Hannah's brow crinkled. Lexi's attitude seemed a little.. off.

"Lex? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

A disembodied voice drifted down from the canopy above.

"Nothings wrong... yet. And I'm fine. Or I will be."

Merlin gazed into the trees above, rather worried about his companion. Hannah and Gwaine exchanged puzzled glances.

"Well, that was weird..."

* * *

><p><strong>Oohhh :3 what do we have here? Hannah and Gwaine? My oh my...<strong>

**Well, here we see the first bit of _real _fangirl obsessiveness ;) guess we'll just have to see where this leads...**

**Thanks for taking a look. If you want, let me know what you think...**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hello darling readers! Whoever you may be :)**_

**_I've got to put about the BIGGEST thanks ever_ to PhantomForever112 _for my first review! :D I was ecstatic when I saw it ^^ thank you *does-a-sweeping-bow*_**

**PhantomForever112:_ PI've gotta say that Hannah absolutely LOOOOOVES Gwaine too! :D Lexi fell for Arthur and when Gwaine came into the series... *BOOM* Hannah fell for him ;)_**

* * *

><p>Hannah lightly smacked Gwaine on the arm – well, what <em>she<em> considered lightly. "Something is definitely not right, I'm going to go after her." She stared both of the boys down as they made to move. "Alone."

Hannah wondered out of camp and into the trees. As soon as she knew she was lost from the camp's line of sight, she launched into a tree. Lexi knew she couldn't keep a land trail completely hidden and she didn't try to. That's why tree markings only sped Hannah's search along. Not surprisingly, Lexi was at the top of one of the trees.

Though the forest was old and the trees strong, they couldn't even come close to matching the height of the ancient trees in the forest within Camelot. This Hannah noticed as she sat down next to her closest friend on a branch, waiting to see who would break the silence first.

"You know they say that silence is the death of a bond old men create?" Hannah stated. Lexi turned to look at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Really?" Hannah nodded solemnly.

"No." She contradicted her actions. Slowly, a smile grew over Lexi's face. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Have you seen anything lately? Anything… personal?"

Hannah frowned. "Not really. Why do you ask?"

"How about Gwaine? Anything I should know about him?" There was no way Lexi missed the small blush raising on her friend's face. She made the blonde look at her though, when she grabbed her upper arms. "I've seen you with him, Hannah. We've only known him for a couple of days – not even a week! – and you seem as if you're really falling in love with him. I know that anyone who hasn't known you as well and as long as I have would think this was harmless flirting, but we _both_ know that's not the case."

"I – I , I don't know. I mean we, he, I…" Hannah stammered for an answer. As she kept mumbling, searching for a logical answer in her jumbled mind, Hannah didn't notice Lexi stiffen and turn her head.

Lexi's ears strained for the sounds she had just heard below a moment ago.

"Lexi?" The girl in question threw up her hand in warning to her friend to keep silent. It was a good thing she did because just then the leaves crackled and crunched under the distinctive, telltale sounds of footsteps. Neither girl hesitated as they both jumped silently from branch to branch until they could see jumped silently through the tree branch's until the could see what they were looking for: two armed men, covered by the shadows of trees, moving slowly and as silently as possible towards the camp.

They're not very good at being stealthy, Lexi thought. If this was any other situation she would be analyzing their flaws and smirking triumphantly. Now she was analyzing patterns in their footsteps and when they would turn to survey their surroundings for signs of danger.

Lexi tapped her knee twice, an action she knew Hannah would see from the corner of her eye and easily recognize. They had unconsciously developed the simple, non-flashy signal they had developed a couple of years back while playing a game. The number of fingers one of them would flash would alert the other as to how many steps their target or opponent took before the two of them would attack.

One step. Two. Hannah and Lexi jumped from their perches, each taking down one man. Lexi's feet contacted squarely with her assailant's back and pinned him on the ground while her sword pressed against his neck. Hannah landed on the ground, and then kicked her assailant in the chest so he went flying into the tree behind him. It was only when Hannah had one of her hidden daggers poised to slit his throat, did she realise who it was.

"Merlin!" Lexi exclaimed as she helped the boy up.

"Gwaine!" Hannah was annoyed. "We could have killed you!"

"Yes, but you didn't, and we're ok, so everything's fine!" Gwaine's voice was slightly hysterical, instead of the cheerfulness he pushed for. Most likely because there was still a sharp blade at his throat. Lexi held her bottom lip in between her teeth to stop herself from laughing. Gwaine sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. Forgive me?" The man looked up at Hannah with the biggest, most woeful, brown eyes she'd ever seen. Topping the look off with a pout that could melt _Uther's_ heart. Lexi turned to find Merlin had followed suit. She moved so fast that Merlin hadn't even realised he was in a headlock until Lexi's fist rubbed harshly against the top of his head.

Laughing, Lexi helped Merlin find his balance and they started walking back to the camp together. "That's what is known as a 'noogie'."However a branch snapped close by and all turned to that direction. Not even a heartbeat later, Gwaine was thrown on the ground and Hannah leapt back to avoid an arrow that would have killed her otherwise. Not even flinching, the girl threw her dagger back to where the arrow had come from.

A man's cry could ne heard in the almost silent forest. Lexi unsheathed her sword and crouched in a fighting stance, while Gwaine followed to do the same. Hannah had several throwing stars that had come from goodness knows where, and was poised to strike. Merlin called a couple of spells to the front of his mind incase he had to use them, but there was a look of uncertainty in his eyes that made the other three hesitant.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Gwaine called out. A man maybe a year or two younger than Gwaine stumbled out of the bushes, Hannah's dagger in his shoulder.

"Friends… had to help… was – hunting." The man choked out before passing out and falling flat on his face. The four companions rushed to this 'friend'.

"We'll have to take him to the village he must have come from. I need more medicinal supplies anyways." Lexi murmured more to herself than anyone in particular. Merlin cautiously turned the man onto his back and gaped at what he saw.

"Lancelot!"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks guys :) Let me know!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**_Ahem *cough cough* O.O_**

**_Well... what can I say? Sorry? No, that doesn't really seem to cut it :S But yes I AM SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOO SORRY! For anyone who keeps track of what is going on in this story, I know first hand how much of a pain and how annoying it is when people don't update their stories :'( I feel your pain!_**

**_And also_**** _THANK YOU to _oldtales_! I'm VERY happy to know you like the story! Sorry for the wait :(_**

* * *

><p>Hannah's eyes snapped up to meet Merlin's. "Lancelot?" Her gaze switched to the man lying at her feet, scrutinizing his (rather handsome) features in a new light. "This is who we've been looking for then!" Merlin nodded, and Hannah's jaw dropped in realization. "And I just threw... Oh, I'm so sorry!"<p>

The injured man didn't reply, still lying unconscious with his face steadily losing all it's colour.

Merlin noted the change with worry. "Look, I'll do all the explaining later, right now we just need to get Lance to help, okay?"

His other three companions nodded, and as Merlin and Gwaine lifted Lancelot and carefully carried him to the camp, Lexi took Hannah aside, her expression grim.

"He's not the only one who has explaining to do. We'll finish our little conversation later. But for now, I have a patient to tend to."

Lexi turned and broke into a run, heading straight back to their camp and her pack, which still held a few basic medical items inside. She rummaged through her few personal possessions until she reached a small leather pouch filled with herbs, potions and poultices. It wasn't much, but it was the best they had right now.

Once she had stocked which supplies she had left and which she was running low on, Lexi stood and brought her fingers to her lips, whistling out a simple four note melody. A few seconds later an answering neigh echoed through the clearing and Ombra galloped into view, tailed by the other three horses.

"Clever boy." Lexi murmured as her stallion trotted over. Absent-mindedly twisting her fingers in Ombra's ebony mane, she turned to her other companions, deciding to take control of the situation. "Merlin, give Lancelot some of the herbs I have in this bag,"-she threw him the pouch, instructing him as he looked for the right plant- "the smaller satchel. The shrubby plant with small blue flowers. Yes, that's the one. They should relive a bit of the pain, and lessen the bleeding."

She turned to Gwaine next. "Gwaine, pack up the camp - we won't be returning here. We'll just have to stay at an inn for tonight. Hannah, could you please saddle up the horses, but leave Ombra to me."

She gave her orders deftly, watching for a moment as they were carried out, before she began work on her own task of preparing Ombra and ensuring they would be able to get Lancelot safely and comfortably to the closest town.

Hannah, meanwhile, worked on saddling her and the boys' horses, chatting quietly with Gwaine as he moved about, packing the camp.

"So, what do you think of this Lancelot?" Gwaine began conversationally.

Hannah frowned and replied without looking up from where she was fastening a saddle buckle. "How would I know? We haven't even talked to the guy - the whole time he's been with us he's either been grievously wounded or unconscious!" Her tone was bitter. "All thanks to me..." She added on guiltily.

"Hey, Han, it's not your fault. You acted on instinct, to protect us. You couldn't have known he was a friend." Gwaine paused from his work to put a reassuring and (mostly) innocent arm around Hannah's shoulders. He squeezed the top of her arm reassuringly, deciding to change the subject.

"Well, Lexi certainly seems to be an accomplished leader. She took control without even a slight hesitation."

Hannah looked up at him, a wry smile on her lips. "Well of *course* she's a natural leader, after all, she is *r*- rrr..." Hannah trailed off, eyes wide in sudden horror. "Um, never mind!" She covered up, quickly side-stepping away from him. "Yes, Lexi is a very good leader. She always has been." Hannah moved onto the next horse to be saddled, Merlin's bay mare, turning away to hide her blush.

Gwaine was just *too* easy to talk to. He made her less wary - lowered her guard and made her more likely to slip up like she very nearly had a few seconds ago.

"Umm... Okay then. We'd better hurry." Gwaine was more than just slightly puzzled, but he decided to just leave Hannah be. This had happened before, with both of the girls - a topic would come up, a question asked, and then one or both of them would clam up and refuse to talk save for very vague details.

Gwaine sighed. He knew that the time would come when more was revealed about the two, but for now... well, he just wished Hannah would trust him.

Running an idle hand through his brunette waves, Gwaine looked around the small campsite. Lexi had saddled Ombra and was over with Merlin and Lancelot, helping analyse and dress the wound. He himself had already finished packing the camp, so he sauntered over to help.

"What's the verdict?" He queried, question aimed at Merlin, whom he knew to be assistant physician in Camelot. But it was Lexi who answered.

Her hands were slightly bloodied, fingers gripping fresh bandages as they hovering over where Lancelot's shirt had been ripped open to reveal a long, thin gash.

"Well, luckily for our friend here, while the wound does seem long, it's relatively shallow. Upon impact, the dagger appears to have glanced off his collarbone, potentially fracturing it in the process, but also preventing any major internal damage. The dagger itself slipped out as Lancelot was lifted. All in all, it is a troublesome wound, but one which could easily have been much, much worse. He can consider himself lucky. Hannah aimed to fell the man, not kill him." By now, Hannah had finished saddling the horses, and was standing behind Gwaine. Lexi gave her a small smile. "Because trust me, if she *had* aimed to kill, well, lets just say he would no longer be with us."

Hannah looked slightly pale, but she smiled at the compliment.

Her three friends watched on as Lexi finished giving the gash a make-shift bandage, before standing up and addressing them all. "Now that we're packed, we have to head off. Are the tents already strapped on the saddlebags?" Hannah nodded. "Good. We need to leave now in order to get to town before nightfall. Lancelot isn't strong enough to ride alone, nor does he have a horse, so he'll ride with me. Gwaine, can you help me get him up?" Gwaine moved to help, and Hannah and Merlin mounted their horses.

Slinging one of Lancelot's arms around each of their shoulders, they moved him into a standing position. Lexi whistled quietly, and Ombra sidestepped over, positioning himself with care.

"Smart horse you got there." Gwaine grunted as he slowly lifted Lance.

"He is indeed."

"So, how long until Lancelot here regains consciousness?" Gwaine asked, gesturing to the man now slumped in the saddle.

"Any time now. The only reason he's been out this long is because of a herb I gave him. That's why I want him on Ombra with me, in case he needs anything, or his condition deteriorates any further." She quickly mounted, arms folding around Lancelot's waist to keep him seated.

Gwaine nodded grimly before following suit. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p><strong><em>MY DEVIOUS PLAN WORKED (kinda):<em>**

**_DHP and I have gotten in touch again - hopefully for a lot longer! - and I'm very happy right now :D_**

**_LET ME KNOW!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Because I'm feeling so wonderfully happy for the first time in a while ^^ I thought I'd be nice and upload another chapter..._**

**_**_But yes, this is a little chapter that was HEAPs and HEAPs of fun to write :D I hope you guys like it ;)!_**_**

* * *

><p>Everything was all blurry. Why was it all blurry? I nearly screamed at the piercing pain on my shoulder, except I couldn't get my body to respond properly. Instead I think I grunted. All of a sudden I could feel a delicate, but calloused hand on my forehead. Who was this person?<p>

I forced my eyes open, but the light was blinding. There was a bizarre, gurgling sound ringing through my ears. When I realized it was coming from my throat, I stopped it instantly. As shapes began to appear in my vision, I could barely make them out amongst the silver fog. Brown was a dominant feature. Of that I was sure. Then familiar curly hair like chocolate, and mocha skin that was a pleasure to my eyes became clear. The person's – woman's hands were on either side of my face, on my cheeks. She was speaking.

"Lancelot? Lancelot, can you hear me? Wake up Lancelot." A voice like the angels melted over me as I indulged in the bliss that the sound brought. With difficulty, I placed my own hands over hers, but it was worth it.

"It's okay, I am here. I am awake. There is no need to worry… Guinevere." I replied, such a beautiful woman shouldn't have to feel fear, but she was so much more than that: kind, brave, loving, wonderful, heavenly –

Did she just squeak? I smiled for I swear I just heard a squeak. Leaning up, I managed to slide a hand around the back of her neck and pull her down until our lips touched. It was a sweet, innocent and pure kiss where our lips pressed to each other simply as if we had all the time in the world, and in my opinion, we did.

Poor Gwen seemed to have frozen where she sat, so I opened my eyes to reassure her. However when they met with exotic golden brown eyes, instead of the deep wells of chocolate, I knew something was wrong. This was not Guinevere.

Gwaine and Hannah were on the floor, sides splitting as they literally rolled on the floor, unable to get up. Across the clearing, Merlin made another attempt to walk over to fix the situation, but ended up bracing himself the tree again as tears rolled down his face.

Hannah thought she would never see such an expression on Lexi's face, but the impossible has happened as the… charming Lancelot had mistaken one poor maiden for another and now they were both frozen with their lips together with such horror struck faces! Just thinking about it made Hannah fall into another fit of hysterics, which made Gwaine laugh harder and Merlin – seeing the two positively about to wet themselves laughing – only made him laugh harder.

Before the three had any idea what was going on, Lexi made a move and Lancelot was suddenly unconscious and she was halfway to a nearby river.

Though she was completely out of breath, Hannah knew she had to go to Lexi. Thankfully the walk and the soothing sounds of the river were enough to change the full-blown laughter into occasional and discreet giggles.

Sighing heavily, Hannah spotted her friend standing against a tree, her arms folded across her chest as she stared into the clear water. Bending down to the water, Hannah splashed water on her face to wash away the laughing-tear-tracks.

"Are you okay?" She finally asked her friend.

"Why do you care?" Lexi grumbled miserably. That made Hannah freeze. Lexi wouldn't say that unless…

"You're not."

"What?"

"You're not thinking about *that*, are you?"

"Which *'that'*?"

"You know *which 'that'*. *Him* 'that'!"

"No! I'm not thinking about *him 'that'*!"

"Yes you are! You have that look on your face! Lexi, you have to stop! What Emanuel did to you was inexcusable and disgusting. But you have to look past people like him, remember that your heart isn't worth letting someone break."

"And you would know about loosing your heart and soul?" Lexi demanded, she's was acting all snarky because she was upset. After questioning Hannah, she immediately regretted it, knowing the answer – and what it cost her friend.

"Yes."

"But that's for your work. What about romance? Do you think Gwaine is worth sacrificing your heart for?"

"Lexi, why are you so against him?"

"I'm not! I'm just… trying to protect you. You don't need protecting in the field, or anything, but let's face it; you've kept yourself so strictly… professional for so long that you have so little emotional practice or defense."

"Love is a noose. They don't teach you how to make friends or fall in love because they'll only tie you down and get you killed – and themselves."

Lexi sighed. "I already knew all that. But that just makes me question why your letting yourself open to a man you hardly know."

Hannah seemed to crawl into herself. "To be honest, I don't even know."

Lexi frowned, during their conversation, she had sat down beside Hannah at the river's edge. "But… do you like him?"

"Yes. A lot." She sighed. "I think you know that there are some things that people need to do on their own so they can learn and grow. You told me yourself. I think that this is one of these times."

Lexi wrapped her arms around Hannah's shoulders. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. You did nothing to deserve it."

"I guess I shouldn't have laughed." Lexi smirked as she crossed her arms. "I guess I would have done the same if you were in my situation."

Hannah laughed. "Probably! But who in the world's Guinevere?"

Lexi laughed. "Who knows?"

"Apparently Lancelot." Hannah said with a sly wink.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Bahaha, that was fun to write :)<em>**

**_Feel free to make my day and let me know what you think of the writing of two obsessed 13/14 year old girls (who continued to be obsessed even as they turned 16)_  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

_**Ta Da! New Chapter :) Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>"Apparently! Aww, poor guy. I may have, erm… *shocked* him a little."<p>

"Shocked him?" Hannah shot Lexi an incredulous glance. "Lex, you knocked him out!"

The other girl blushed and rushed to her own defence. "It was an automatic reaction, okay? He just caught me unawares with the… the *kiss* - I didn't mean to hurt him! After all, he is my patient!" She added with some small professional pride.

A giggle burst from Hannah's lips. "Well then, I feel deeply worried for any of your future patients – or suitors for that matter! If that's how you react to a mere kiss…"

Hannah's words were meant as a jest, but the mention of 'suitors' brought back unwelcome thoughts of their previous conversation, and served to sober Lexi up instantly. She bit her lip and turned her face away from her friend, suddenly uncomfortable, but unwilling to show it.

Hannah, however, quickly noted the change and let out a small sigh. It had been going so well before the ill-worded comment. They had been giggling and bickering like the siblings their relationship represented. But it seemed not all memories could remain repressed.

Hannah placed a comforting arm around Lexi's shoulders. "What *have* we gotten ourselves into this time?"

Lexi gave a humourless chuckle. "Indeed. We're running from our past, while trying to save a royal brat from the very man who began it all! Why do we do this to ourselves?"

Another sigh. "Now that is one question I am yet to answer."

After another minute of gentle silence, Hannah stood up and gestured back towards the boys and their horses.

"I know it's probably the last thing you'd like to do right now, but we really need to keep moving. Lancelot may have regained consciousness, but he still needs medical attention – he is clearly delirious – and night has already fallen, so we'd better hurry."

Lexi nodded, face grim at the thought of facing the traumatised Lancelot, as well as Merlin and Gwaine – who would no doubt be looking for an explanation for her over-reaction. After all, it had just been a kiss, and a chaste one at that! But telling them the truth would come far too near to dangerous topics for the girl's liking, so it seemed she would have to go with the normal cover up. She'd lie, and if that didn't work, she'd glare at them until they were convinced they didn't want to know. It'd worked before and it'd work again. But how many times can you lie to friends before their trust becomes undermined completely?

Because that's what these two were quickly becoming to Hannah and Lexi – loyal, kind and trustworthy friends. And while they'd done very little lying so far (and a lot of brushing off and evading of certain topics) it was clear that Merlin was suspicious, and Gwaine hurt by their obvious distrust and unwillingness to confide. And even though Lexi desperately craved another close, stable friend like the one she could see in Merlin, it was Hannah and Gwaine whom she was really worried about. Would their blossoming relationship survive such dark and deadly secrets?

Shaking her head to clear her heavy thoughts, Lexi walked to Hannah's side and together they strode back along the game trail to where the boys were waiting. However, after a mere 10 paces, Hannah began to flinch, a sure fire sign she was being harassed by a Seer's unseen demons. Lexi, used to the troubles Hannah faced as a seer, stopped a friend with a hand on her arm.

"So, want me to fight 'em, or let 'em come?" Lexi asked with a wry grin, her fluent noble's speech deliberately slipping into a more harsh accent as she repeated the routine phrase.

Hannah gave a small smile before appearing to delve into thought for a few seconds. Her eyes soon clouded over in their misty silver, and eventually she whispered, "For now, let them come. If I start to thrash, fight it."

Her words, to an onlooker, would have sounded ominous and cryptic, but to the two, the meaning was clear. Whenever Hannah was stuck by a particularly bad bought of Sight (which was increasingly often with Merlin's potent well of power nearby), Lexi would aid her in either 'fighting' or 'letting' the Vision. Despite not having it herself, Lexi had knowledge of magic, so, if needed, she was able to aid Hannah in fighting away the Sight, albeit temporarily. If, however, Hannah's sight could be potentially important or helpful, they occasionally allowed Hannah to fall into a trance-like state in order to See more clearly. Her trances could last anywhere from minutes to hours to days, and were always draining on the Seer. Hannah was able to fight the visions on her own (hence the pinching), but to 'let' them and fall into a trance without a friend nearby was both dangerous and foolish, as it left the Seer in an extremely vulnerable state.

So Lexi knew, as Hannah went limp resting against the trunk beside her, Hannah must have seen something damn important to put herself through all this. The important question still remained – what?

When Hannah woke mere minutes later, she found her friend pacing in front of her, methodically going through flashy sword drills with her stolen blade. Hannah's eyes were bleary, face paler than her usual creamy pallor, but a small smile had taken root on her lips.

"Lexi." She called Lexi's attention to herself, and her friend seemed relieved to see her up and about so soon. "I have a lead to the whereabouts of the Prince Arthur. And believe it or not, they reside in the next town. It seems we've found some luck at last."

Lexi's eyes lit up, glad to finally have some direction on this quest of theirs. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hope you guys liked it!<strong>_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Ladies and (perhaps) gentlemen :) I give you, the next chapter for any that care to read it!**_

_**I had a minnie heart attack when I saw that the wonderful **_**Dreamingmydaysaway**_** and **_**Kat7CA**_** are now following this story! So thank you!**_

_**And always, just so that none of you forget, this story does not belong to neither myself or dear friend and co-writer, this is from the **_**BBC _television series _Merlin _which is wonderful and filled with plenty of good looking guys who walk around with no shirts on ;)_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

><p>Hannah bit down on her lower lip. Blood seeped around the white teeth as they penetrated the soft flesh.<p>

"Actually, Lexi, there was more. But I pulled out too soon to make any sense of it." Said girl was sheathing her sword but her eyes snapped up like daggers.

"That's dangerous." She reminded her friend sharply.

"I know. But I thought that if we could keep me steady while I… looked around some more." Striding over, Lexi grabbed Hannah's shoulders and shook them none-to-gently.

"Think about this, Hannah; if you go into a trance, it could be days before you come out! And with Merlin's magical intensity…"

There was no fear in the blonde's eyes as they held her friend's anxious ones. "I've already thought about that. I should be fine. Besides, when I said 'next town' I actually meant as in, *next town*. No village. We'll be travelling for about a week if we stay on course. It is going to be one hard, long track too. Plenty of time for you and Lancelot to make amends. And if he would like to stop eavesdropping, it would make life so much easier if he just came out and talked to us." Lexi froze and whirled around when she heard the injured man stumble out of the foliage. "And no, Lexi, you're not slipping. Lancelot is just very good at concealing himself."

"What are you doing standing up?" Lexi demanded – she was a mother hen and a healer before anything else. "And walking around?"

"I am fine, Lady. I just cannot do much." Lancelot wasn't really thinking about his answer, what he was thinking of were the girls in front of him. How could two girls be so much mature than their age? Each of them had more maturity than both Gwaine and Arthur put together – which wasn't saying much still. "Bur what about you two? Arthur is our friend and we've all been through a lot together. All of a sudden there are two girls that appear with too many secrets. Forgive me, but you both are highly skilled in weaponry, which makes me question ho and why you would be and then how much do we really know about you and how can we really trust you?"

A heavy silence descended amongst the three under the cover of trees. "Those are all fair questions, Lancelot. And we know you have a right to the answers. But our secrets are secrets for a reason. For protection and because we aren't read to divulge our backgrounds yet."

"Well what about Gwaine? My friend is falling deeply in love with your friend even though he doesn't know a thing about either of you! I think that he has more of a right to know out of he, Merlin and myself."

Hannah's eyes brimmed with tears. "I want to tell him." She whispered. "But I don't think I can yet. The timing isn't right."

"Do you know that through your seer abilities? Because I am prepared to give you time. I am not a totally heartless man, merely cautious. But I can't wait forever, and neither can you." With that, Lancelot stumbled his way back through the foliage towards the camp.

Lexi shook her head. "How on earth did I not hear that before?"

Hannah shrugged, walking back to camp. She was deeply troubled by what Lancelot had said, because they both knew he was right. "I want to tell him, Lexi, but I can't have him hate me yet."

3 days. 3 days the group of five had been riding northeast, back through Camelot and up towards the coast.

When the girls had gotten back to camp, Lexi had immediately gone back to looking after Lancelot and Hannah found herself encircled in Gwaine's arms. He knew something was upsetting her and he held her, offering his comfort.

It wasn't really surprising that Gwaine was the one (after many questions and debating on the fact that Hannah could be at risk in her trance) that would be carrying Hannah on his hoarse, since (despite initial protests and denials from Lexi) the blonde's best friend had to spend all of her time navigating and watching over Lancelot as he rose, injured, on the rough roads. Merlin was Lexi's second choice, but after the young sorcerer finished stuttering and saying "no, please, not me. I can barely ride on my own without falling off!"

Lexi had briefly toyed with the idea of tying Hannah to her own horse, but shook her head of those thoughts immediately. If they were attacked, there was no way to protect her and if the ropes slackened and she fell, it could cause some serious damage.

So logic had won out in the end and Gwaine was very happy with the riding arrangements. Hannah's horse was tied to the back of Lexi's and it carried extra supplies.

Yes, with Lancelot's acceptance – tense, as it may have been – of the two girls and the harmony between the riders, everything was going very well.

That is, until the third night when they were all asleep around a smoldering fire. Lexi was on sentry duty and – as usual – Gwaine slept (on his own pallet) next to Hannah. The blonde all of a sudden shot up like an arrow screaming.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So yeah. Hope you liked it :)<strong>_

_**I thought about it and decided that no, I wouldn't give you a list of excuses as to why I am inconsistently updating (you know, school, parents, holidays and friends with serious issues that threaten their lives), it's probably the same old excuses you've heard anyways :P**_

_**So if you would be so kind, let me know what you think! But it's really optional.**_

_**Have a lovely day or sweet dream!**_

**TAS**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Et voilà! Voici la longue (ou peut-être pas si longtemps) attendue chapitre que j'ai n'avait pas encore mis à jour.**_

_**Anywho, I must say that I am excited to be getting these chapters up. I don't like dissapointing people and I know how much of pain in the bum a story can be when it doesn't update often, so here is the next chapter.**_

_**I'm not sure if you guys have guessed or knew, but as I read through these chapters before adding them to the story - laughing and grinning like an idiot because of the good memories they bring - I do cringe when I notice all of our spelling and grammar mistakes. T_**hough I did mention it before, I will say it again; I'm not going to change it or fix it. This is what DHP and I wrote years and years ago as 13 year olds or something and we had a hell of a time doing so. Changing what we wrote kinda takes away what was fun and special about two girls writing for absolute fun.**_**_

_**_**Also, when you see '*words*', it symbolises words that are meant to be in italic. We wrote like this because most of the time we wrote, we did it on notes on our iPods or on Facebook, where there is clearly no italics function.**_**_

_**_**So, hope I cleared some things up, just in case, and yeah. Don't know what else to say.**_**_

_**_**Enjoy!**_**_

_**_**Actually, btw, who is loving the olympics? :D The opening ceremony was spectacular and the Aussies are doing mixed good and bad in some events. Let's see if this may be the year we beat the US in women's basketball, hay? ;D**_**_

* * *

><p>The responses from the remaining members of the group were both instantaneous and widely varied. Gwaine was awake immediately; his arms reaching to restrain Hannah's frenzied movements. Lexi bolted into the clearing from the far side, her long-sword drawn and ready to defend her friends just as Lancelot jolted awake and stumbled onto unsteady feet, eyes searching wildly for an enemy. Merlin, on the other hand, woke with a start and flailed around for a bit, before promptly rolling into the campfire.<p>

Hannah's eyes were wide open, their irises painted with an eerie silver light. Her whole body was shaking, and bucking against Gwaine's restraining hold.

Lexi was by her side in an instant. "Gwaine, move!" She ordered, fighting to get close enough to her friend to aid her. She knew Gwaine was just trying to help, but as he was completely unaware of the dangers of being a seer, right now he was just in the way.

"Gwaine! MOVE!" Lexi knew that if she didn't wake Hannah soon, her Sight would consume her. Yet, as Hannah's struggles worsened and Gwaine refused to let her intervene and help the seer, she felt she had no choice. Expert fingers lashed out, striking the muscular man in several deliberate locations. Gwaine gave a surprised grunt as he was shoved to the side, suddenly finding himself unable to move.

Lancelot, who had just finished helped Merlin put out his flaming clothes, blinked in surprise.

"Ahh…forgive me for asking, but what did you just do?"

"Pressure points. They're nerves within the body close enough to the surface to be manipulated. By using them, you can cause extreme pain or temporarily paralyse a person, as I just did. I'm sorry, but I really had no choice. He won't experience any long term effects, and he'll be perfectly fine, I assure you."

Lancelot gave Gwaine one last incredulous look before turning to the two girls, one still caught up in her mind's horrors. "What's wrong with her? She…she sounds like she's being tortured. What's doing this to her?"

Lexi spoke with a deceptively calm air as she checked Hannah's vitals. "She was in her trance for 3 days, trying to follow the Sights pathways to find the location of your prince. She was able to find a lead a few days ago, who lives in the town to which we are currently heading. But she said she saw…something more. Something big enough to cause her to re-enter the trance and go digging. And now, clearly, she has gone deep, far *far* too deep. So deep that she feels as though she is *in* her vision. She isn't actually in pain, rather, she is experiencing the pain of the content of her visions. In other words, it's all in her head."

Merlin pushed forwards, kneeling on the other side of Hannah's squirming body. "But…but what could she be seeing to cause herself so much pain?"

Lexi's face was grim, her usually bronze complexion pale as she finally met Merlin's worried eyes. "We can't be sure until she wakes up, but I have my suspicions. Afterall, like you said, she's screaming as though she, or *someone* is being…being tortured."

Merlin's eyes widened and he sat back with a thump. "Tortured? But-but she was looking for Arthur!"

"Indeed. It seems she may have finally found our wayward prince."

Hours passed, and as the sun rose to herald the new day, Hannah finally broke free. Lexi had been awake with her for the remainder of the night, trying to coax her back to the present.

In the end though, it was Merlin who finally pulled her back. He had spent most of the time sitting by Lexi's side, helping in any way he could as well as providing his company, keeping up a constant, one-sided chatter as Lexi worked in silence. Lancelot and Gwaine sat nearby, and from the snippets of the conversation he overheard, Merlin guessed they were discussing the implications of this new development in their quest.

After he had watched Lexi try and fail for over two hours, Merlin requested that he give it a try. With his huge stores of magic, he knew that there was a chance he could locate and retrieve Hannah from the tangled webs of the future, using his power as a sort of magnet. Lexi, already running low on both spirit and energy herself, let him take over.

Merlin closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he carefully reached inside of him, tapping into the vast reserves of his power. No words were needed; instead, he merely pushed his magic outward, letting it wash over Hannah's abruptly still form.

And, whether it worked or was merely a huge coincidence, Hannah awoke to find two anxious faces leaning over her.

"Mo'ning" She mumbled, and as she spoke the watching faces multiplied to four.

"Han!" Gwaine half-shouted, scooping up her slim frame into a bear hug. "Welcome back to the land of the living!"

Hannah gave a weak smile, resting her head back against his broad shoulder, and allowing herself to be gently propped up in his lap.

She gave a small sigh, her strength completely draining. Overcome by lethargy, she allowed her eyes to close and proper sleep to overcome her.

A cough and a gentle shake roused her as she attempted to drift away, and she slowly cracked open her heavy lids.

"Whaaa?" She slurred.

"Hannah, I know you're tired and want to sleep, but we *really* need to know what you saw. Was it Arthur? Is he okay?"

All of a sudden she was wide awake and bolt upright.

"The Once and Future King…Arthur! It was Arthur!" She began to struggle to stand, but Gwaine fixed a hand around her waist, knowing she was too weak to do so.

"Gwaine, get off of me! We need to- need to *go*. Now! Please!" Her movements became frantic as the horrifying visions rose once more to the forefront of her mind. "Don't you understand? He's being tortured! *Tortured!* In the hidden castle…the castle of King Wareken! Lexi!" Hannah turned to face her friend, expression terrified, "He's got them! *All* of them…Warrr-wareken." Her words were quickly becoming incoherent, but Lexi heard a precious few last words. "Arthur…our families…and-and others, he's got them." Then, her last reserves of strength gone, Hannah promptly slumped in a dead faint.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh gosh, the spelling mistakes, the grammar! I think I'm just going to cry off in a corner, because I hate it when I see it in others writing, let alone my own!<strong>_

_**I apologise deeply. Hope it doesn't turn you all off **_**too _much._**

**_Ciao for now_**

**_TAS  
><em>**


End file.
